Former Glee star Lea Michele has apologized after her co-star Samantha Marie Ware accused her of making the working environment on the show "a living hell." Ware responded to Michele after she tweeted her support for the Black Lives Matter movement, also accusing the actress of threatening to defecate in her wig. Other Glee co-stars Dabier, Alex Newell, and Amber Riley appeared to echo Ware's claims.
"One of the most important lessons of the last few weeks is that we need to take the time to listen and learn about other people's perspectives and any role we have played or anything we can do to help address the injustices that they face," Michele wrote in an Instagram note she shared on Wednesday. "When I tweeted the other day, it was meant to be a show of support for our friends and neighbors and communities of color during this really difficult time, but the responses I received to what I posted have made me also focus specifically on how my own behavior towards fellow cast members was perceived by them."
She went on to state that she doesn't "remember" making one specific statement, and that she has "never judged others by their background or color of their skin." She did, however, admit that she "clearly acted in ways which hurt other people." She continued, "Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me just being unncessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior and for any pain which I have caused."
She wrapped up the apology by stating that she is "very sorry" and will "be better in the future."
Her apology on Wednesday comes just two days after Ware made the accusations against her, and one day after food delivery business HelloFresh terminated its sponsorship deal with Michele.
"HelloFresh does not condone racism nor discrimination of any kind," the Twitter account for the brand wrote. "We are disheartened and disappointed to learn of the recent claims concerning Lea Michele. We take this very seriously, and have ended our partnership with Lea Michele, effective immediately.
Ware has yet to respond to Michele's apology, although the note did not include her name specifically.
